King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway Become Latest Royals to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
ERIK EDLAND/NTB SCANPIX/AFP via Getty
Norway's monarch has received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
King Harald and Queen Sonja, both 83, were both administered the vaccine on Wednesday the Royal Court announced. They are scheduled to receive the second dose in three weeks.
The King's 88-year-old sister, Princess Astrid, also received the vaccination.
In November, King Harald and Queen Sonja went into voluntary isolation after a royal court employee tested positive for COVID-19. The couple was also tested and the results were negative.
King Harald has a history of health issues that sometimes require his son, Crown Prince Haakon, to assume the role of regent. Haakon served as regent during King Haakon's cancer treatment in 2003 to 2004 and again in 2005 as the monarch recovered from a heart surgery. More recently, Prince Haakon took on his father's duties in December 2019 after the King contracted a viral infection and in 2020 when the King was admitted to the hospital for breathing trouble.
LISE AASERUD/NTB/AFP via Getty Queen Sonja and King Harald of Norway
King Harald and Queen Sonja received the coronavirus vaccination less than a week after Queen Elizabeth, 94, and Prince Philip, 99, were administered the first dose by a Household Doctor at Windsor Castle. As for why the news was made public, a royal source says the monarch wanted to prevent speculation and inaccuracies.
Steve Parsons/Press Association via Getty Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
RELATED: Princess Sofia of Sweden Gives Pregnancy Update After COVID-19 Diagnosis
Earlier this month, Denmark's Queen Margrethe became the first European sovereign to publicly receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Denmark's Queen Margrethe
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Back in March, Queen Elizabeth left Buckingham Palace in London to self-isolate at Windsor Castle with her husband.
Since then, she has limited her engagements to small gatherings. The Queen held a scaled-down Trooping the Colour celebration in June and the knighting of fundraiser Sir Tom Moore, both behind closed doors.
She also recently canceled all her garden parties in 2021. The three parties traditionally take place at Buckingham Palace each May. She also holds one at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, later in the year.
